“The baby is a boy.”
At that moment, I heard the world around me cracking with a loud noise.
“What?”
The gentle baby blinked its jewel-like golden eyes in the soft sunlight through the thin white curtains.
The baby, who was slowly falling asleep, opened his mouth slightly and made a squat, perhaps sensing that my surprised stiffness was trying to amuse me.
“...A boy? What is that...”
My voice trembled slightly in the cold.
“I lied. When the Duke of Temnes came to Holderleyround, I didn’t know what his purpose was.”
The old woman, who had always smiled generously as if she were a blood relative of Madame Cronach when she took care of the baby, was tense.
“The first nanny died instantly in the attack. I was so shocked and scared.”
“Purpose? There’s no way he had another purpose in going to save the child.”
“This child should not exist in Temnes.”
I knew that.
That was the reason I had thought of running away from Kaian.
How could I forget the words that said that even the thought of a child with Vermont blood mixed in was horrifying and that he could not split the mixed blood in half?
But that was in the past.
‘How much Kaian adores the baby.’
I barely managed to pull myself together.
“He acknowledged this child.”
“No.”
Madame Repel became serious at my words.
“He acknowledged the baby because he thought it was a girl.”
“...That can’t be.”
“I am a living witness. The royal family and Temnes were very close in the past. Her Majesty the Queen and the Duchess were real sisters.”
Madame Repel’s eyes filled with worry as if she had briefly recalled a certain scene.
“Even babies born to the royal family did not survive.”
I felt like a thin snake was crawling up my body.
“Daughters are different. You can send them off to get married, or if you secretly have a child, the color of your bloodline can be passed down to the next generation.”
“No. That can’t be.”
I thought of the Vermont lineage as I murmured.
Vermont didn’t have many collateral lines like Temnes, but because they valued marriage as a family tradition when there were many siblings born in the family, they were strategically sent abroad.
That’s why those with Vermont’s golden eyes or red hair were born far away in foreign countries.
The second son of the Marquis that Irena married had red hair, and the Duke of Vermont was very pleased with him, it was also because he had a grandmother from Vermont who had married into a Marquis a few generations earlier.
In Vermont, where hands were precious, even daughters were considered to have a high chance of having children who resembled them in the future.
Even if they didn’t necessarily take the baby’s life, sending them far away to a foreign country was very effective in preventing a fight over the family’s succession, and as time passed, it became an important advantage in establishing themselves as diplomats, so they encouraged it even more.
I had vaguely guessed that I would also marry abroad.
In fact, the Duke of Vermont had mentioned nobles from several countries. The reason I had been reading travelogues that contained exotic flavors, such as the Hindenburg Continental Exploration, was because I thought that it would be difficult to leave the castle of Valmonde before getting married, but that there was a high possibility that I would have to leave for a completely unfamiliar foreign country due to the marriage issue.
“He... didn’t he check the sex of the baby?”
I asked, and Madame Lepel nodded.
“The baby was born prematurely, so it needed special care. I was a wet nurse to the royal family for a long time, so the Duke believed what I reported.”
It was a very sloppy response compared to Kaian’s usual obsession with censoring information.
“It’s not good for a newborn to be handled by many people. It’s true.”
“But I think he would have wanted to see a doctor.”
“His Majesty's men were loose in the capital, so he entrusted the baby to me, who had been taking good care of him, in case something went wrong if a doctor was called.”
At that moment, I heard the world around me cracking with a loud noise.
“What?”
The gentle baby blinked its jewel-like golden eyes in the soft sunlight through the thin white curtains.
The baby, who was slowly falling asleep, opened his mouth slightly and made a squat, perhaps sensing that my surprised stiffness was trying to amuse me.
“...A boy? What is that...”
My voice trembled slightly in the cold.
“I lied. When the Duke of Temnes came to Holderleyround, I didn’t know what his purpose was.”
The old woman, who had always smiled generously as if she were a blood relative of Madame Cronach when she took care of the baby, was tense.
“The first nanny died instantly in the attack. I was so shocked and scared.”
“Purpose? There’s no way he had another purpose in going to save the child.”
“This child should not exist in Temnes.”
I knew that.
That was the reason I had thought of running away from Kaian.
How could I forget the words that said that even the thought of a child with Vermont blood mixed in was horrifying and that he could not split the mixed blood in half?
But that was in the past.
‘How much Kaian adores the baby.’
I barely managed to pull myself together.
“He acknowledged this child.”
“No.”
Madame Repel became serious at my words.
“He acknowledged the baby because he thought it was a girl.”
“...That can’t be.”
“I am a living witness. The royal family and Temnes were very close in the past. Her Majesty the Queen and the Duchess were real sisters.”
Madame Repel’s eyes filled with worry as if she had briefly recalled a certain scene.
“Even babies born to the royal family did not survive.”
I felt like a thin snake was crawling up my body.
“Daughters are different. You can send them off to get married, or if you secretly have a child, the color of your bloodline can be passed down to the next generation.”
“No. That can’t be.”
I thought of the Vermont lineage as I murmured.
Vermont didn’t have many collateral lines like Temnes, but because they valued marriage as a family tradition when there were many siblings born in the family, they were strategically sent abroad.
That’s why those with Vermont’s golden eyes or red hair were born far away in foreign countries.
The second son of the Marquis that Irena married had red hair, and the Duke of Vermont was very pleased with him, it was also because he had a grandmother from Vermont who had married into a Marquis a few generations earlier.
In Vermont, where hands were precious, even daughters were considered to have a high chance of having children who resembled them in the future.
Even if they didn’t necessarily take the baby’s life, sending them far away to a foreign country was very effective in preventing a fight over the family’s succession, and as time passed, it became an important advantage in establishing themselves as diplomats, so they encouraged it even more.
I had vaguely guessed that I would also marry abroad.
In fact, the Duke of Vermont had mentioned nobles from several countries. The reason I had been reading travelogues that contained exotic flavors, such as the Hindenburg Continental Exploration, was because I thought that it would be difficult to leave the castle of Valmonde before getting married, but that there was a high possibility that I would have to leave for a completely unfamiliar foreign country due to the marriage issue.
“He... didn’t he check the sex of the baby?”
I asked, and Madame Lepel nodded.
“The baby was born prematurely, so it needed special care. I was a wet nurse to the royal family for a long time, so the Duke believed what I reported.”
It was a very sloppy response compared to Kaian’s usual obsession with censoring information.
“It’s not good for a newborn to be handled by many people. It’s true.”
“But I think he would have wanted to see a doctor.”
“His Majesty's men were loose in the capital, so he entrusted the baby to me, who had been taking good care of him, in case something went wrong if a doctor was called.”
The fact that she was taking care of a baby who had been born prematurely before the ten-month mark garnered great trust.
“...How can that be?”
“Even the Duchess has never undressed the baby to look at his body before.”
I was recovering my health, but I was still having difficulty holding the baby in my arms.
I wanted to take care of the baby myself, but it was difficult to support the baby’s weight with one hand.
I didn’t know until I tried it myself, but when it comes to taking care of a baby, each hand does a different job.
For example, I had to hold the baby with one arm and wipe the mouth with the other hand, or when the baby cried or was burped, I had to support the baby’s weight with one arm and pat him with the other.
“...How can that be?”
“Even the Duchess has never undressed the baby to look at his body before.”
I was recovering my health, but I was still having difficulty holding the baby in my arms.
I wanted to take care of the baby myself, but it was difficult to support the baby’s weight with one hand.
I didn’t know until I tried it myself, but when it comes to taking care of a baby, each hand does a different job.
For example, I had to hold the baby with one arm and wipe the mouth with the other hand, or when the baby cried or was burped, I had to support the baby’s weight with one arm and pat him with the other.
There were many times when I had to hold the baby with one arm and do something with the other hand.
During the time I struggled to survive after the baby was born, I could not eat or sleep, and my body was injured, so it was impossible for my lost muscles and strength to suddenly return.
Madame Repel and the nanny helped me with the difficult work of washing, feeding, and dressing the baby, I would put a cushion on the bed, lean on it, and put another cushion under my arm, and I would hold the baby as if he was leaning against me.
Then I would put his cheek diagonally on my chest, look down at the baby in my arms, and sing or talk to him the song I had hummed during my pregnancy.
“If you tell him honestly now...”
...The first thought that came to my mind was that it wouldn’t work.
If the baby was a boy and Kaian had to do something about the baby, there would be no turning back.
When people were under Kaian's protection, he was the most reliable person. However, when they tried to go against his will, they were mercilessly beaten and dragged away.
When he asked about the baby's gender, he thought of her saying 'Princess'.
Was that why he accepted the baby's existence so easily?
If not, what should I do?
"I want to protect this baby."
Madame Repel whispered quietly so that no one would hear.
"I have committed many sins. I have a grandchild of my own, and I cannot bear to see this baby go wrong."
"Is there a chance that he will accept it?"
"I think it will be low. He was greatly relieved when I told him the baby was a girl."
Madam Repel must have been suffering a lot, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
"Besides, the Temnes blood relatives will not stay still. If the Duke accepts the baby, that will be a problem in the baby's own right."
"Ha."
They could have just put poison on the wooden toy the baby was playing with and presented it to him.
It was a different matter that Kaian accepted the baby out of affection, not that the entire Temnes acknowledged him.
“Besides, the Duke of Vermont is quite the character.”
“Why is my uncle...?”
“Would Vermont, where the only heir is Princess Irena, be quiet if he finds out about this baby?”
“I see. That’s right.”
As soon as I thought of the Duke of Vermont, I shuddered.
“If there was a boy who perfectly possessed Vermont’s red-light characteristic, my uncle would be jealous.”
I bit my lower lip.
‘Would a baby born to a helpless mother end up following his mother’s fate?’
I don’t like that.
‘I want to protect him somehow.’
Why should the ordinary wish of raising a baby happily be so dangerously threatened?
I pressed my stuffy chest with my hand and suppressed my emotions that were on the verge of tears.
Kaian tried to hurry up and look back.
“How about hiring a few more administrative officials?”
The butler looked at him at the sudden remark.
“Aren’t you old enough to see your grandchildren?”
“I’ve already seen them.”
The previous Duke of Temnes had married very late. Baron Colon, who had married about ten years before his close friend, had grown children who had married and had grandchildren.
“Anyway, there’s too much work to do. It seems like Claudel wants to see the baby herself.”
The butler pretended not to notice Kaian’s ‘childcare excuse’ as he wanted to spend more time with his wife.
How fortunate it was, considering the stormy times of the past.
When Claudel, who was once pregnant, went missing – everyone thought she was dead – the once strong master withered away as if his soul had been ripped from his body.
“You must be quite capable of looking after the affairs of the land.”
“Come to think of it, isn’t the magistrate of Pagos just sitting around?”
Although he had lost his job because he had returned his land to the royal family, Kaian treated him like an unemployed person.
“I’d like you to bring him to Rowen.”
“I’ll send a telegram.”
“Tell him I’ll pay whatever he wants.”
Kaian made a conscious effort to change.
In the past, Kaian would have had a hard time enduring the compulsion to not personally check and verify everything one by one.
‘Maybe it’s because I went to the battlefield as soon as I became a Duke.’
The rookie Duke, still in his late teens, had to shoulder the lives of others before he could even rule his territory.
A small mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.
Kaian became more and more paranoid as he watched the dead.
But this was not a battlefield.
It was a shame that he had less time to look after the baby and Claudel, who were growing up so quickly because he was obsessed with work, so now was a good opportunity to ease his pathological obsession with managing the estate.
“I’ll have to pay more attention to Claudel until she recovers.”
“It’s fortunate that the baby is healthy enough that you can’t tell she was born early.”
“That’s right. But we’ll have to wait and see, so I think it would be better for me to take care of her together. She doesn’t cry when I hold her, and she sleeps soundly, so I think she already recognizes her father.”
To the butler, the object of Kaian pathological obsession had simply moved from the estate and Rowen Castle to the Madam and the baby, but he kept his mouth shut to protect his master’s happiness.
“I guess I’ll have dinner with Claudel.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare dinner.”
However, Kaian’s face hardened as soon as he saw his wife, who he had been anxiously waiting to see all day.
“Why is your body like this all of a sudden?”
During the time I struggled to survive after the baby was born, I could not eat or sleep, and my body was injured, so it was impossible for my lost muscles and strength to suddenly return.
Madame Repel and the nanny helped me with the difficult work of washing, feeding, and dressing the baby, I would put a cushion on the bed, lean on it, and put another cushion under my arm, and I would hold the baby as if he was leaning against me.
Then I would put his cheek diagonally on my chest, look down at the baby in my arms, and sing or talk to him the song I had hummed during my pregnancy.
“If you tell him honestly now...”
...The first thought that came to my mind was that it wouldn’t work.
If the baby was a boy and Kaian had to do something about the baby, there would be no turning back.
When people were under Kaian's protection, he was the most reliable person. However, when they tried to go against his will, they were mercilessly beaten and dragged away.
When he asked about the baby's gender, he thought of her saying 'Princess'.
Was that why he accepted the baby's existence so easily?
If not, what should I do?
"I want to protect this baby."
Madame Repel whispered quietly so that no one would hear.
"I have committed many sins. I have a grandchild of my own, and I cannot bear to see this baby go wrong."
"Is there a chance that he will accept it?"
"I think it will be low. He was greatly relieved when I told him the baby was a girl."
Madam Repel must have been suffering a lot, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
"Besides, the Temnes blood relatives will not stay still. If the Duke accepts the baby, that will be a problem in the baby's own right."
"Ha."
They could have just put poison on the wooden toy the baby was playing with and presented it to him.
It was a different matter that Kaian accepted the baby out of affection, not that the entire Temnes acknowledged him.
“Besides, the Duke of Vermont is quite the character.”
“Why is my uncle...?”
“Would Vermont, where the only heir is Princess Irena, be quiet if he finds out about this baby?”
“I see. That’s right.”
As soon as I thought of the Duke of Vermont, I shuddered.
“If there was a boy who perfectly possessed Vermont’s red-light characteristic, my uncle would be jealous.”
I bit my lower lip.
‘Would a baby born to a helpless mother end up following his mother’s fate?’
I don’t like that.
‘I want to protect him somehow.’
Why should the ordinary wish of raising a baby happily be so dangerously threatened?
I pressed my stuffy chest with my hand and suppressed my emotions that were on the verge of tears.
***
Kaian tried to hurry up and look back.
“How about hiring a few more administrative officials?”
The butler looked at him at the sudden remark.
“Aren’t you old enough to see your grandchildren?”
“I’ve already seen them.”
The previous Duke of Temnes had married very late. Baron Colon, who had married about ten years before his close friend, had grown children who had married and had grandchildren.
“Anyway, there’s too much work to do. It seems like Claudel wants to see the baby herself.”
The butler pretended not to notice Kaian’s ‘childcare excuse’ as he wanted to spend more time with his wife.
How fortunate it was, considering the stormy times of the past.
When Claudel, who was once pregnant, went missing – everyone thought she was dead – the once strong master withered away as if his soul had been ripped from his body.
“You must be quite capable of looking after the affairs of the land.”
“Come to think of it, isn’t the magistrate of Pagos just sitting around?”
Although he had lost his job because he had returned his land to the royal family, Kaian treated him like an unemployed person.
“I’d like you to bring him to Rowen.”
“I’ll send a telegram.”
“Tell him I’ll pay whatever he wants.”
Kaian made a conscious effort to change.
In the past, Kaian would have had a hard time enduring the compulsion to not personally check and verify everything one by one.
‘Maybe it’s because I went to the battlefield as soon as I became a Duke.’
The rookie Duke, still in his late teens, had to shoulder the lives of others before he could even rule his territory.
A small mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.
Kaian became more and more paranoid as he watched the dead.
But this was not a battlefield.
It was a shame that he had less time to look after the baby and Claudel, who were growing up so quickly because he was obsessed with work, so now was a good opportunity to ease his pathological obsession with managing the estate.
“I’ll have to pay more attention to Claudel until she recovers.”
“It’s fortunate that the baby is healthy enough that you can’t tell she was born early.”
“That’s right. But we’ll have to wait and see, so I think it would be better for me to take care of her together. She doesn’t cry when I hold her, and she sleeps soundly, so I think she already recognizes her father.”
To the butler, the object of Kaian pathological obsession had simply moved from the estate and Rowen Castle to the Madam and the baby, but he kept his mouth shut to protect his master’s happiness.
“I guess I’ll have dinner with Claudel.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare dinner.”
However, Kaian’s face hardened as soon as he saw his wife, who he had been anxiously waiting to see all day.
“Why is your body like this all of a sudden?”
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